The Rise of AI and The Law
Nour Zaki
One-Week Work Experience Programme
Overview – AI in everyday life
Over the past few years, AI has gone from something we heard about in films to something that is now a part of most people’s daily lives.
From AI bots that chat with us to self-driving cars, AI might be changing how the world works.For example, some police forces have trialled AI-powered facial recognition, raising questions about privacy and how to control the technology.
The risks and legal questions
While AI makes life easier, it also comes with risks, and that is where the law becomes important. For example, if a self-driving car causes an accident, it is hard to of know who is going to be responsible for it.
Right now, the UK has very few rules governing AI, which creates a lot of uncertainty about how to handle accidents, mistakes, or protect people’s rights when AI plays a role.
What other countries are doing
Some other countries are already trying to deal with this. For example, the European Union is introducing new rules called the AI Act, which will create the first major set of laws to control how people and companies use AI. These rules include that they will ban dangerous uses of AI, like systems that track emotions in schools and AI that ranks people based on their behaviour.
The EU plans to fully implement the AI Act by 2026, marking a major step toward safer and fairer AI.
The UK’s position
In the UK, the government has started talking about AI, but there are not proper laws in place yet. As AI becomes more advanced, it is important that the laws keep up, to make sure people are safe and treated fairly. However, many experts say this approach does not go far enough, especially as AI becomes more advanced and affects more areas of life.
For example, existing laws like the Data protection Act 2018 and the Equality Act 2010 apply to AI to some extent, but they were not written with AI in mind. That means there are still gaps when it comes to things like accountability, bias, and privacy.
The challenge of regulating AI
One of the reasons it might be so difficult to create clear laws around AI is that the technology is changing too fast.
Conclusion
AI is rapidly advancing, but unclear laws leave people exposed to harm, bias, and unfair treatment. The UK must act quickly to close the legal gaps around AI. The government can follow the EU AI Act to ensure people use technology safely, responsibly, and with respect for rights.
Source
https://artificialintelligenceact.eu/high-level-summary
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-65855333
https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2018/12/contents
https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2010/15/contents
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/police-urged-to-double-ai-enabled-facial-recognition-searches
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